This year’s Boat of the Year marks the third consecutive time that sisterships have taken home the International WorkBoat Show’s top award. “It seems if you want to win the Boat of the Year, just build two of them,” WorkBoat’s Ben Hayden said during the ceremony. The honor went to the Houston Pilots‘ two new high-speed launches built by Breaux’s Bay Craft, Loreauville, La.
WorkBoat’s Top 10 Significant Boats list covered a wide functional range this year, including pilot boats, three ferries, an Alaska patrol boat, two research vessels, an inland towboat, a tractor tug, and a rebuilt offshore service vessel converted into a space-capsule launch platform.
The 80’×21′ San Jacinto, delivered in May, and its sister vessel Juan Seguin, scheduled for delivery later this year are each powered by three MAN D2862 LE438 Tier 4 engines, rated at 1,200 hp apiece and paired with Twin Disc MGX 5204 SC gears and HamiltonJet HTX47 waterjets.
Capt. Billy Kern, third executive officer, said the group selected MAN engines to maintain consistency with its station boats. “We wanted continuity for our maintenance and repairs,” he said. “We’re trying to streamline our maintenance process. And we wanted fuel efficiency, of course.”…